INDIANAPOLIS, Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 - A comprehensive review of Tony
Renna's fatal accident is complete, officials from the Indy Racing
League announced Dec. 19.
Renna suffered fatal injuries Oct. 22 in an accident in Turn 3 of
the Indianapolis...

Renna suffered fatal injuries Oct. 22 in an accident in Turn 3 of
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during tire testing. Renna was
turning his first laps in a Target Chip Ganassi Racing Panoz G
Force/Toyota/Firestone.

The combined data from various technical resources provided IRL
officials insight into what happened during the crash. However, the
data did not produce a 100-percent conclusion as to why the tragic
accident occurred. There are many unknown possibilities that could have
contributed to the cause of the accident.

The Renna family has been informed of the findings.

"We appreciate the due diligence of the League and their investigation,"
the Renna family said in a statement forwarded to the League.

The accident review focused on why the car went into the air and
what happened to the car during the accident, and while the cause of
the accident is unknown, IRL officials were able to gather valuable
information.

"The goal of an Indy Racing League accident review is to learn as much
as we can about what happens during a crash, not necessarily why a
crash happened," said Brian Barnhart, senior vice president of racing
operations for the Indy Racing League. "The League focuses on what
happens during the crash because that is where we learn more about
chassis integrity and other safety initiatives.

"The review of this accident was more difficult and prolonged because it
was a private test. Although we are confident we've pieced together what
happened during the accident, it appears we will not know why the crash
started. That is the frustrating part of this effort."

The accident review revealed that Renna's car entered Turn 3 at 227
mph. At a point just past the apex of the turn, the car did a 90-degree
spin to the left into the infield grass. The car began to skip through
the grass as it traveled sideways, allowing air underneath the car
and causing it to lift into the air. While in the air the car spun
approximately another 30 degrees to the left.

The car traveled across the track through the air and made contact with
the debris fence on the outside retaining wall in Turn 3. IRL officials
said it appears that the most significant damage and resulting fatal
injuries were caused when the bottom of the car made direct contact with
one of the debris fence support posts, which is part of the Speedway's
fence system.

The spectator debris fences at the Speedway worked as designed, and
because Renna's car struck the fence and not the wall, it did not impact
the Speedway's SAFER Barrier, Barnhart said.

Officials said the car's speed was in the normal range of other
accidents at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in the last few years.

"The IRL continues to review all race incidents during the year to
evaluate safety, but each individual accident usually has a unique set
of variables," Barnhart said.

IRL officials were able to download all the data from the ADR2 (accident
data recorder), which is in every IRL car. The ADR2 can record vehicle
parameters at 1,000 samples per second just prior to, during and after
an accident-triggering event. The system records data from both of
the vehicle's internal sensors, as well as information from the car's
on-board data acquisition system.

As the car entered Turn 3, all the data indicated there were no
mechanical failures on any of the car's equipment that are monitored by
sensors. However, while the data acquisition systems are comprehensive,
there are elements of the car that are unable to be tracked by the
systems. Because of this, it is impossible to completely rule out
mechanical failure as a cause of the accident.

"The list of items on a car that can fail, and that aren't monitored
by sensors, is significant," Barnhart said. "Several of those failures
could cause a crash. In addition, unforeseen factors can also come into
play and contribute to the cause of the accident."

The ADR2 system also allows officials to retrieve data from an earpiece
sensor system that measures dynamic forces to a driver's head during an
accident. It uses small sensors integrated into the left and right radio
earpieces worn by IRL drivers.

The Target Chip Ganassi team's research data device, which was damaged
in the incident, had to be sent to the manufacturer for data retrieval,
and that information was returned to the IRL to be analyzed. The device
contains all suspension-related information.

"Tony Renna was an experienced and talented race driver, doing his job
and trying to achieve maximum speed from his car," Barnhart said. "He
was highly respected by his peers and was a young, rising star in the
Indy Racing League. He will be missed."